Month: June 2021

Proverbs 1-3

~ Patricia ~ 3 Comments

Proverbs 1:1-7

My Bible calls this first section the purpose and theme, I think of it as a mission statement.

1 The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:

2 for gaining wisdom and instruction;
    for understanding words of insight;
3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior,
    doing what is right and just and fair;
4 for giving prudence to those who are simple,
    knowledge and discretion to the young—

5 let the wise listen and add to their learning,
    and let the discerning get guidance—
6 for understanding proverbs and parables,
    the sayings and riddles of the wise.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
    but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

  • “Fear of the Lord” is used 50 times in the Bible,  18 of them will be in the Book of Proverbs.

V. 7- This phrase does not mean to cower in terror or to feel a threat.  To fear the Lord means to respect-absolute reverence for someone.  It is the same word used in places of the BIble to explain the respect children should have for their parents.  Here is a phrase I read recently “Fear of the Lord is Reverential AWE that produces humble submission to a loving God based on a relationship, not repercussion.”

The scripture says this is the beginning.  The beginning is the foundation on which all instruction will be placed.  So before you read any further take a moment to reflect on your view of where you acquire knowledge?

  • V: 8-9 is an introductory call to pay attention to those instructions and the benefits of doing so
  • V:10-14 is the warning against yielding or ignoring these instructions
  • v 15-19 discusses the reason for doing so.

Starting in verse 20 you will see Wisdom is personified: it is given a feminine pronoun.  She seeks to rescue us from our errors.  When we ignore her, we will face consequences therefore by verse 28, we will call out for help.  The phrase that hit me was 31: “They will eat the fruit of their ways…but in 33 it says “but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease without fear of harm”(PEACE).  I want the latter!

Chapter 2– starts off strong!

  1. ACCEPT these words,
  2. then HEAR these words,
  3. then APPLY these words.

So if you TRULY want wisdom, you will have to dig into these Proverbs:

verse 4:

and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,
 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.

Here is a kick in the stomach: The time and effort I put in looking for my phone when I can’t find it is greater than the effort I put into seeking God’s wisdom when I can’t hear it.  Ouch!  (btw, the other day I spent 30 minutes looking for my phone, finally, I said “mom, I am going to have to call you back, I can’t find my phone). If you get it…then you understand my life!

The ultimate source of Wisdom is found in the hidden treasure:

For the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.

In verse 16 we are introduced to the other female- “the adulterous woman”.  She represents what we “want” not need.  This woman will tempt us but through God’s wisdom, we can resist giving in to sin. (we will talk about that in more detail in upcoming chapters)

Verse 20-22 gives the example of living in the land which we can now look back on historically and understand the correlation.  When the Israelites followed God’s commands they had Peace in the land when they strayed from his commands they fell into their own consequences.

Chapter 3:

  • Verse 1-4  again talks about the advantages of holding on to God’s wisdom.
  • Verse 5- I am betting many of you underlined this familiar scripture:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Wisdom is more profitable than silver, rubies, and gold.

Pile of gemstones | Semi precious gems, Gems for sale, Gems

The chapter ends with “do not” phrases. What not to neglect and what not to engage in.

Ok, if we don’t do a read-through in 2022 THEN we have to at least come back to Proverbs, that was AWESOME!!  I underlined almost every word!

Proverbs Overview for tomorrow

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

New Book tomorrow!!! EASY SPOT TO JUMP IN!

I feel like we are in hyper-speed compared to the days of Leviticus!

Proverbs!!

  • Psalms were about our relationship with God.
  • Proverbs is about our relationship with people.
  • Psalms were about our private life.
  • Proverbs is about our public life.

Months ago I said there were 5 Poetic or Wisdom books- I scratched off the ones we have read already

  1. Job
  2. Psalms
  3. Proverbs
  4. Ecclesiastes
  5. Song of Songs

We know that Solomon wrote over 3000 proverbs.   A proverb is like a “short saying based on a long experience”.  They are designed for teaching purposes.  The Hebrew word for Wisdom is Chokhmah-meaning “to be skilled at”.  The deal is we can all sit here and absorb all 66 books of the Bible, but putting it into application brings Wisdom.

The word WISE or WISDOM is used in Proverbs 125 times!!  Not just applying any wisdom…applying God’s wisdom

The Proverbs can be split into 3 “P”s.

  • Principles:1-9 the word “my son” is used 10 times so we can conclude this is written for the “young” to learn
  • Proverbs: 10-24 righteous verse wicked
  • Precepts:25-29 completed works possibly from other writers
  • (I don’t have them in a category) but then we have Proverbs 30-31 written by Agur and King Lemuel.

The Proverbs will talk about: scoffers (I know a few),  friends, fools, wise men, righteousness, fear of God, knowledge, morality, chastity, diligence, self-control, trust in God, proper use of money, consideration to the poor, control of the tongue (I can skip that one, I am good 😂), kindness towards enemies, choice of relationships, raising children, honesty, laziness, justice, common sense…and others. (Need advice from God on ANY of those?)

This Book is NOT to be read.  This book is to be APPLIED.   There are 31 Proverbs; I read somewhere that one should be read each day for a month

So for about a week, you will read THREE chapters a day.  Easy to remember.

Jun 3: Prov 1-3
Jun 4: Prov 4-6
Jun 5: Prov 7-9
Jun 6: Prov 10-12
Jun 7: Prov 13-15
Jun 8: Prov 16-18
Jun 9: Prov 19-21
Jun 10: Prov 22-24

and then we will hop back into Kings for a bit:

Jun 11: 1King 5-6; 2Chron 2-3
Jun 12: 1King 7; 2Chron 4
Jun 13: 1King 8; 2Chron 5

Song of Songs

~ Patricia ~ 1 Comment

Mercy!  I am a mess! I wrote this and never finalized!  (It’s really not worth reading) Just move on to Proverbs!

The book reads like a drama manuscript (is that the word I am looking for? Manucritpt?  Anyway…_let’s Begin:)

Engagement (1:1-3:5)

Chapter 1:

SHE: The Shulamite woman professes her love through sight, smell, and longs to be touched.

Friends: Her posse of friends, or as Beyonce would call them: All the single ladies 🎶🎶

Verse 5 and 6 are interesting:  She is tan (that was not a positive thing like it is today) because her brothers were mad at her and forced her to work in the fields!  (Sounds like a bunch of losers if you ask me!!)

Verse 7: Does she think Solomon is a shepherd?? I love that!  She loves him NOT because he is the king.  She thinks he is a commoner!  “Veiled women” were prostitutes.  She is stating I am not one of “those girls”.

Verse 8: Friends say: “Go get him, girlfriend!! (If he likes it he should have put a ring on it)

Verse 9: Remember Solomon collected horses…so this is a major compliment! (Todd, if you tell me I look like a horse tonight I am going to throat punch you )

The chapter continues….as they sit outside:

  • And our bed is verdant (sitting on green grass)
  • The beams of our house are cedars (next to the trees)
  • our rafters are firs (in the shade)

Chapters 2 and 3 (the courtship): The woman describes herself as plain -a Rose of Sharon, BUT Solomon sees her as a lily among thorns (I guess her friends are not that attractive!  Just kidding)  These chapters are beautiful.  Trues Love.

Wedding (including the wedding night) 3:6-5:1

Solomon admires every detail of his bride at the wedding.

Reality Check: Now the hard part…Marriage

Marriage (5:2-8:14)

This stage of love is not without its share of problems. However, the king and his bride worked through them, and these chapters provide insight into dealing effectively with basic marriage difficulties.

Chapter 5 could have MANY different meanings, ones that I am reluctant to talk about.  Please read them or research them if you are curious.

So I am literally sitting here with every commentary I own and every single one from chapters 5-8 is completely different.  I have to be at work at 8:00 (yes, teachers actually have to attend training in the summer 🤐 ) I will try to read more tonight, HOWEVER, If anyone is comfortable writing in comments please go ahead.  This might be your first time reading it, or your 100th, give it a try.

Tough Book! (for me anyway)

If you need more:

Solomon (also called Song of Songs) Overview

~ Patricia ~ Leave a comment

Song of Songs: Advice on Love from Solomon - Sermon Series & Sermon Graphics - Ministry Pass

I am sorry this wasn’t posted earlier…New Book Tomorrow!  I call it Song of Songs, some call it Solomon.

There is much debate over this book.  Actually, when the council of Jamnia in 90 A.D. was affirming the Old Testament books as inspired by God they questioned 5 of them:

  1. The book of Esther does not contain the name God at all
  2. Some passages in Proverbs appeared controversial (hmm wonder if it was 31..haha, just kidding, a little!)
  3. Ezekiel chapters 40-48 appears to conflict with Moses Law
  4. Ecclesiastes was too pessimistic
  5. Song of Solomon for its sexual nature

Song of Songs: Think about the name, it is like the saying: the King of Kings or the best of the best!  Solomon wrote 1,005 songs and this is the one that God chose to put in the Bible as the “best”.   This book can be read as an allegory of God’s love for His church. It can also be read as poetic drama explaining:

  1. Engagement (1:1-3:5)
  2. Wedding (including the wedding night) 3:6-5:1
  3. Marriage (5:2-8:14)

(Some say it is both.)

This book is about Sex, Love, Commitment, Beauty, and Problems.

There are 3 Characters in this book.

  • Beloved (Shulamite girl)
  • Lover (Solomon)
  • Friends (Friends)

This Poem was written probably while Solomon was still young.  He fell in love with the most beautiful woman in the land (in his eyes).   Some say it is Abishag the Shulammite (the woman who cared for David on his deathbed),  but we truly do not know.

Solomon eventually will have over 700 wives and 300 concubines. (Bless their hearts). But we assume this poem is about his first wedding.

Poetry is a language of imagery, using similes and metaphors.  I will post a blog tomorrow trying to break down some of them, but if you don’t need it-just go on with your day.   I will be reading in NIV (creature of habit), but just like we did for Job, feel free to pick another version if you think it might help.  I am not strong on poetry and I make no bones about it.

Psalm 119:89-176

~ Patricia ~ 8 Comments

Doing a Chronological read-through is HARD.  It shouldn’t be.  It’s not that time-consuming if you think about it.  It is about making it a priority.  So if you have been reading with me for 152 days, I am so proud of you. ❤️  I warn you though, doing a “bible study” (book or workbook) won’t be the same.  You will know more than the leader of the group now.  You are “bible study wrecked’ (what a great place to be.)

Look for patterns that YOU see.  If one word catches your eye over and over, God is talking to you.  I will put my “Word” in the comments so that you don’t see it when you read and you see your own word.  But notice that Psalm 119 is about His Word:

There are eight different terms referring to the Word of God throughout the psalm: law, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commandments, judgments, word, and ordinances. In almost every verse, the Word of God is mentioned. Psalm 119 affirms not only the character of the Scriptures, but it affirms that God’s Word reflects the very character of God Himself. Notice these attributes of God in Psalm 119:

1. Righteousness (verses 7, 62, 75, 106, 123, 138, 144, 160, 164, 172)
2. Trustworthiness (verse 42)
3. Truthfulness (verses 43, 142, 151, 160)
4. Faithfulness (verse 86)
5. Unchangeableness (verse 89)
6. Eternality (verses 90,152)
7. Light (verse 105)
8. Purity (verse 140)

I keep going back to verse 9:

9 How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
    By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
    do not let me stray from your commands.
11 I have hidden your word in my heart
    that I might not sin against you.

How can we put it into our hearts if we don’t read it?

Read slow today.  Feel free to comment 😁.